Happy Month of the Sacred Heart

June is upon us already—where did May go?

We're not sure, but we know it was busy.

Most sisters' vegetable and flower gardens are underway, and there were a few weeks where it was normal to find seedlings stashed on window ledges, in the corridors, in the basement—anyplace with a bit of sun and protection from hungry mice.

These fine looking squash are keeping the library books company.

Some early spring chard in Sr. Elizabeth Marie's well-tended patch.

Prioress Sr. Marie Tersidis discovered amidst the garlic.

Speaking of library, the librarian hit an important milestone this week—over 250 books are catalogued in the computer, complete with LLC numbers and keyword search tags. We're not going to guess at how many are left to go...but does it really matter? Given that this is a Dominican monastery, no one is going to complain about having too many books!

Some of the collection, along with our beautiful library crucifix and the quasi-famous rolling library ladder.

Some swallows found a soffit vent that blew loose in a winter storm, and it now appears that we have some diminutive tenants residing in the roof outside the novitiate wing. They're very tidy, and one can often catch them using the loose vent as a singing perch on sunny afternoons.

Sr. Ann Francis O.P., a professor at a local university, came for a week to teach us a course on St. Thomas Aquinas's treatment of the body and the soul. Thanks to her generosity, our heads and notebooks are now stuffed with concepts like the hylomorphic union of body and soul, the soul as the form of the body, and the distinction between the intellectual and appetitive powers of the soul. While she was here, a generous benefactor donated crates and crates of beautiful red strawberries, and we had a strawberry hulling party! Many were eaten fresh, but the remainder were frozen to be consumed or turned into jam at a later date.

Finally, with all the nice weather lately, we've been spending a lot of time outside. Some community members have even started swimming in Pilchuk Creek—can you guess who?

As always, the beauty and grandeur of God's creation continue to be a daily inspiration. It's not quite paradise—that's the next valley over—but it is a daily blessing. And, as one postulant would say, it's "Epic!"